Inspiration

Small podcasts have loyal listeners, but sponsorship is hard on both sides.

Podcasters can't get found. Two podcasters on r/podcasting reported 1 deal from almost 50 proposals, and 2 from 115.
Brands can't buy small shows. "Most shows didn't publish rates," Ahrefs found. Download estimates averaged 51.6% accuracy in a test by The Podcast Host.
Their marketplace is closing. Audacy Creator Lab (formerly Podcorn) shuts down on November 1, 2026.

What it does

Midrolo matches brands and independent podcasts by taste, using Qloo.

For brands: type your brand. An agent asks Qloo which podcasts your customers love, checks who already sponsors those shows, and ranks every show with reasons. Then request a spot. No commission.

For podcasters: claim your show for free. Set your rates, verify your Spotify or Apple numbers without sharing a password, and answer brands in one inbox. An agent also finds brands that fit your listeners and writes the pitch.

Every show gets a public page built from its own feed, with its sponsor history: each brand shown in the show's own words, linked to the episode.

How Qloo powers it

Brands to shows: which podcasts a brand's customers love.
Shows to brands: which brands a show's listeners love.
Shows to shows: shows with a similar audience, and who sponsors them.

Qloo says who should fit. Sponsor history proves who already pays. Verified numbers show what it's worth.

How we built it

Ruby on Rails and PostgreSQL, live at midrolo.com.
Two AI agents on Qloo's taste graph, with every step shown live as they work.
An AI reads show notes for sponsor reads, and keeps a brand only if the show's own words name it.
Verified stats through Spotify for Creators and Apple Podcasts Connect: the show invites Midrolo with read-only access.
About 3,000 automated tests. The technical details are on GitHub.

Challenges we ran into

Verified numbers without passwords. Podcasters invite Midrolo like a teammate, with the narrowest access each platform offers.
Finding sponsors without inventing them. Show notes are full of merch and Patreon links. A wrong sponsor is worse than a missed one.
Small shows aren't always on Qloo. Then the agent builds the show's taste from similar shows and topics, and says so.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

A complete two sided marketplace, live today.
1,378 podcasts and sponsor reads from 1,920 brands, all from real feeds.
Verified Spotify numbers that never ask for a password.
Free for podcasters, and no commission on either side.

What we learned

Taste is the missing signal. Downloads and categories don't make a match. Knowing who the listeners are as people does.
Proof beats promises. A sponsor quote and a verified number build more trust than a bigger estimate.

What's next for Midrolo

Plays and downloads across every app, for Spotify-hosted shows.
Deals: agreed terms, air dates, and proof the read aired.
"Spots left" per month for podcasters.
Paid AI tools after a commercial Qloo agreement/ Qloo API pricing details. Listing stays free.